New Dormitory Dedicated to Saint Therese of Lisieux
(Fall 1999 Newsletter)
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, whom
Pope John Paul II recently named a Doctor of the Church, was
invoked to watch over a new women's residence hall dedicated
in her name at ceremonies held at the College on September
13. The new hall was completed just in time for students returning
in the fall, as the campus population swelled to its record
size of 267 students.
Monsignor George J. Parnassus presided over
outdoor dedication ceremonies attended by the College community,
members of the Board of Governors, and friends of the College.
Construction of the 12,300 sq. foot mission-style building
was made possible, in part, through generous gifts from Mr.
Frank R. Brucker, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Goyette, Jr., the late
Michael Carver, and the late Mrs. Kenneth J. Piper.
"Inasmuch as St. Thomas Aquinas represents
the mind of the Church, St. Thérèse of Lisieux
represents the heart of the Church," said President Thomas
E. Dillon. "We therefore thought it particularly fitting
to honor St. Thérèse on our campus in this special
way." St. Thérèse was a Carmelite nun in
Lisieux, France, who died in 1897 at age 24. Her autobiography,
The Story of a Soul, is a spiritual classic. In 1925,
she was canonized and declared co-Patroness of the Missions.
The 32-room residence hall is the fourth
permanent residence hall on campus and houses 64 young women,
taken from freshmen through senior classes. Built in California
mission-style, the hall will also be used for retreats, seminars,
and the summer high school program when the College is not
in session.
Peter DeLuca, the College's Vice-President
for Finance and Administration, gave special recognition to
Larry Rasmussen and Scott Boydstun of the architectural firm
of Rasmussen & Associates, to David Hight, President of
HMH Construction Company & Associates, to Maria Paul of
J.H. Interiors, and to Mark Laborde of C&S Landscape,
Inc.
The dedication ceremonies concluded with
a room-by-room blessing in processional led by Msgr. Parnassus,
College Chaplains Fr. Michael Perea, Fr. Bart de la Torre,
Fr. Wifred Borden, and altar servers.
|
